Repeating St. Louis De Montfort’s words in True Devotion for this week:

During the first week they should offer up all their prayers and acts of devotion to acquire knowledge of themselves and sorrow for their sins.>
Let them perform all their actions in a spirit of humility. With this end in view they may, if they wish, meditate on what I have said concerning our corrupted nature, and consider themselves during six days of the week as nothing but sails, slugs, toads, swine, snakes and goats. Or else they may meditate on the following three considerations of St. Bernard: “Remember what you were - corrupted seed; what you are - a body destined for decay; what you will be -food for worms.”

They will ask our Lord and the Holy Spirit to enlighten them saying, “Lord, that I may see,” or “Lord, let me know myself,” or the “Come, Holy Spirit”. Every day they should say the Litany of the Holy Spirit, with the prayer that follows, as indicated in the first part of this work. They will turn to our Blessed Lady and beg her to obtain for them that great grace which is the foundation of all others, the grace of self-knowledge. For this intention they will say each day the Ave Maris Stella and the Litany of the Blessed Virgin.

On this journey, there have been quite a few who “view the threads” but few members of CAF reply. I am very grateful there have been persons who read something about this 33 Day preparation for Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary. Hopefully they will persevere to the end. This week may be the most difficult because we may NOT want to look at ourselves. We may not want to “see” what we have done or not done. Is it because we think “ignorance is bliss?” Is it because we are lazy? Too busy? I wonder.

Hopefully some who are simply reading will also reply eventually. It can help to share with others how God is working in our lives or how difficult it is to continue seeking as St. Louis de Montfort teaches: seeking to learn what the spirit of the world is, and to let go of it, to learn self-knowledge, and ultimately learn more about the spirit of Mary and the Spirit of Christ?

Each person is created by God unique and unrepeatable. All have gifts to offer the Body of Christ. By God’s Grace, may we build up one another in love. (cf Ephesians 4)